The headline says it all. This is my first post, and I'll make it brief. I thought I would share my story, but I don't have a lot of detail to share, since I don't remember much.....

Me: I am now 51, male, an executive in Southern California.

Back EIGHT YEARS ago. I had terrible eyesight, near and far, and wore bi-focals. I was about the tenth person in my company to go in for Lasik, with the same doctor in Southern California. My objective - mono vision, Lasik on both eyes (left for reading, right for distance).
Short and sweet - the procedure went fine and painless. Very, very smooth. Very short recovery, mono-vision was fine. Best thing I ever did.

SIX MONTHS LATER, I got a promotion which got me into reading multiple financial statements on small spreadsheets. I had some "slight" difficulty in reading the small print with my mono-vision, So I decided that I would be okay with reading glasses to make the reports very sharp. I had an enhancement done on my left eye to get it for distance, and began to wear reading glasses for close up. I was okay with the reading glasses, a far cry from the bi-focals that I had to use 100% before my first procedure. Lasik #2 on my left eye - very smooth, no problems. Went fine, no pain. Vision was perfect for distance with no glasses, reading glasses were okay with me.

Fast Forward FIVE YEARS ( 3 years ago). My vision changed over the years, with reading glasses changing prescriptions in both eyes slightly. BUT, my left eye had deteriorating vision for distance. So, with my free lifetime Lasik program, I went in for my THIRD Lasik procedure on my left eye. I went in to get it enhanced for distance, again. Surgery and recovery - painless. Vision results in my left eye - fair. I never really had great distance vision after this enhancement in my left eye, and continued to wear reading glasses. In retrospect - I think I should have stayed with the original mono-vision, but too late for that. I was able to go without glasses for distance - not the best, but able to live with it.

FAST FORWARD THREE YEARS - to 2009 (present day). My right eye, with one Lasik surgery for distance 8 years ago, is still good for distance. Not great, but good. My left eye (now with 3 Lasik surgeries), continued to go south. I have had multiple prescriptions changes in reading glasses over the past 3 years, but now my left eye is no good for distance.

So in February of this year, I am faced with needing bi-focals to wear 100% of the time. OH NO! That is where I was 8 years ago! So, as I go in to order to bi-focals to wear all day and all night long, I ask my doctor - GEE, do you think they would let me have a FOURTH surgery on my left eye for distance, so I don't have to wear bi-focals? To my surprise, he said --- why not! (This DID NOT please my wife at all, by the way.)

So I went in, and asked. I said,,,,,,Hi there,,,,ummmm,,,,,do you think I could have my fourth Lasik procedure done on my left eye? (Thinking they would through me out!) To my SURPRISE, they said I had plenty of thickness left, and if the surgeon said okay, I could get it. (This DID NOT please my wife at all, again.) So I went and saw doctor, and under his breath after reading my chart, he said....okay, BUT THIS IS THE LAST ONE. (Which was fine with me - especially since that is what I promised my wife.)

THEN HE SAID...this time we will do PRK, not Lasik. He said with the flap lifted 3 times already, he wanted to go the PRK route. (I did not object.)

So EIGHT DAYS AGO, I HAD PRK on my left eye. The FOURTH surgery on that eye. (Am I vain, an old man not wanting to give up? I guess so.) I had read up on the surgery, and was prepared for the worst. I am not going to go day by day, but give you a brief recap.

PRK Surgery - painless.
Recovery days 1 through 3 - PAINLESS - I used only Advil. Never used the pain killers - tabs or drops I was given. I AM LUCKY I GUESS.
Days 4 through 8 (today) - PAINLESS. Again, I am lucky.

Vision in left eye, days 1 through 3 - blurry. Able to function, but very blurry.
Days 4 through 8 (today) - blurry. Able to function, but very blurry.

I have been back to the doctor every 2 days for the last week. I had a bacterial infection, which required Pred Forte and Zymar every two hours. They were a little worried, but yesterday they said it finally cleared up, and they have moved me to only Pred Forte 4 times a day. I will go back in one week.

So, eight days into PRK on my left eye, there was virtually no pain at all. However, I did have a bacterial infection, and my eye has been blurry since surgery.

I will keep you updated as I can.

Moral of this "not so short story".
My impression in Lasik - wonderful.
My impression of PRK - not too bad, so far
However - I do HOPE to see clearly soon. I know there can be huge variances in recovery, so I will be patient.
Should I have had all of these surgeries? Time will tell (my wife says - NO.)

If nothing else, I hope this calms some peoples concern about the pain of these procedures. I will also say that I am ONE OF ONLY A HANDFULL of people who have had this done multiple times. THIS IS NOT NORMAL by any means. All of my friends who have had Lasik have had it once - and it worked great for them from then on.